Chapter 56 Curfew: What you fear most always comes to pass.

Jiang Yuhu followed behind the white-robed cultivator, walking north along a straight street. The further north they went, the fewer ordinary people there were, while the number of cultivators in white robes gradually increased.

Everyone who encounters a cultivator in white robes will stop and give way, showing great respect, which demonstrates the influence of the Heavenly Palace Sect in this city.

"The faith in the gods is well preserved in Luoyue City, unlike other cities where it has declined. The people are very devout," the white-robed cultivator leading the way explained to Jiang Yuhuo, his expression revealing undisguised pride.

Jiang Yuhu nodded, looking at the temples that appeared every so often along the roadside, and thought to himself, "It's not just piety, it's downright fanaticism."

The long street runs north-south through the entire city. As Jiang Yuhuo walked, he looked up and saw the towering Tianque Mountain at the end of the street.

At that height, the view from the ground was endless. The mountaintop was completely shrouded in clouds, and when illuminated by the setting sun, it was bathed in a golden glow, unconsciously giving rise to the thought that one could touch the heavens by simply climbing to the top.

Every day, when you open your eyes, you are faced with these towering, insurmountable mountains. It is indeed difficult not to feel awe.

Jiang Yuhuo understood the people of Luoyue City to some extent and couldn't help but feel happy for them. In this era, to still be able to have such unwavering faith in the gods and believe that they are protected by the gods is a kind of luck.

"We've arrived at the inn. Immortal Master, please check in here." The white-robed cultivator who was leading her stopped.

Jiang Yuhu followed his gesture and looked at the building in front of her. It was a two-story stone house with no roof tiles and a brand-new, white exterior. She had previously thought that all the houses here were painted white, but upon closer inspection, she realized that they were made of white stone. The architectural style here was completely different from that at the foot of Kunlun Mountain.

Upon entering the inn, the white-robed cultivator led her up to the second floor, handing her the key while giving her numerous instructions on what to be aware of in Luoyue City, especially emphasizing, "There is a curfew in Luoyue City, so please do not go out after 7 PM."

Jiang Yuhuo nodded in agreement.

Not long after, the rest of the disciples from Kunlun Mountain arrived. At that time, Jiang Yuhuo was eating on the first floor. When the group saw that she had already sat down properly, they were stunned for a moment. Ning Yu glared at her fiercely, and the others deliberately ignored her. Only when Jiang Yuhuo occasionally looked up from her food could she meet a few curious glances.

Upon seeing Jiang Yuhuo, Lin Wuwang immediately sat down opposite her, behaving as politely and familiarly as ever. After a few pleasantries, he began subtly probing, trying to find out where her beast-taming ability came from. Beast taming was different from swordsmanship. Kunlun's nine-layered swordsmanship was carved on the cliff face, and all disciples could practice it, depending on the cultivation methods of each peak and their individual understanding. Beast taming, however, was not something everyone could access, and he was very curious about how Junior Sister Jiang cultivated it.

Jiang Yuhuo answered wherever Lin Wuwang's questions veered, and even after she finished eating, Lin Wuwang still hadn't gotten to the heart of the matter. Seeing that she had finished eating, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her to wipe her mouth.

Upon seeing the handkerchief, Jiang Yuhuo almost spat out the mouthful of tea she had just drunk. Recalling the handkerchief that Wen Yizhan had stained black, she suddenly felt a little guilty when she looked at Lin Wuwang.

She pushed the handkerchief back, saying, "Brother Lin, feel free to ask me anything in the future, and I'll answer whatever I can."

Lin Wuwang's cheeks immediately turned red, and he hurriedly explained, "Junior Sister Jiang, don't misunderstand, I didn't mean that, I just..."

He was simply too eager to improve his cultivation. He had been stuck at the middle-third level for far too long, unable to break through, and seeing the new generation of disciples already showing signs of catching up with him, he couldn't help but feel anxious. No, this junior in front of him had already far surpassed him.

Jiang Yuhuo casually rolled up his sleeves, stretched out his wrist to reveal the silver bracelet on his wrist, "Look, the reason I can summon the Peng bird is because I accidentally obtained this magical artifact when I was young."

Lin Wuwang saw the ordinary silver bracelet and subconsciously wanted to get a closer look, so he unconsciously grabbed Jiang Yuhuo's wrist and put the bracelet under his nose to examine it carefully. Sure enough, it was a magic artifact as she said. However, it was rare to find a magic artifact with such a purpose in the world.

After looking at it, he handed it back to Jiang Yuhuo, but only when he did so did Lin Wuwang realize that what he was holding in his hand wasn't the bracelet, but her wrist. He had been holding a young woman's wrist for so long, and yet he had made such a frivolous move!

Lin Wuwang's face burned even more, his mind in turmoil. He dared not look at Jiang Yuhuo's reaction, lest his junior sister Jiang regard him as a frivolous person.

Jiang Yuhuo lowered her sleeves without thinking much about it. She grew up in Liyue Village and had no concept of strict separation between men and women in Zhongzhou.

But when she looked up, the seat opposite her was empty, the stairs at the top were creaking, and Lin Wuwang had run away like a gust of wind.

Jiang Yuhuo, however, thought it was very good. After getting the answer, she left immediately. Senior Brother Lin's efficiency had indeed increased a lot, and she thought this was probably the result of her communication.

*

night.

Jiang Yuhu practiced her inner cultivation technique in her room for a while, but the growth of her spiritual energy was still very slow. Perhaps it was true, as her senior brother said, that spiritual energy cultivation couldn't be rushed. Since she couldn't break through her inner cultivation technique, she could only focus on swordsmanship. Although she had already memorized the eighth sword move, the higher the sword moves, the more precise the control over the subtle details needed to be. Even though she could comprehend the sword intent, she still needed to practice more.

Practicing sword techniques requires drawing qi into the sword, which is naturally impossible to do indoors; an open space is necessary. However, there is a curfew in Luoyue City, and according to the city's rules, one would likely not be able to return if they went out at night. The rooms Tianque arranged for the participants were quite nice, and having such comfortable accommodations, she did not want to sleep in the wilderness.

While pondering, a thought suddenly struck her, and she remembered that the rooftop of the inn might be a good option. When the white-robed cultivator brought her here, she had looked up and seen that the rooftop was flat.

When the night was deep and quiet, Jiang Yuhuo went to the top floor of the inn.

The top floor was flat and spacious, with nothing cluttering it except for a small awning at the central entrance; it was indeed a perfect place for cultivation.

Although there was a curfew, the white-robed cultivator said not to go out. She was only on the top floor and did not go out, so she was not considered to have violated the curfew.

Jiang Yuhuo was quite satisfied. Tomorrow was the first match of the competition, so she would practice again tonight before the match. Even if she only improved by an inch, she would have a better chance of winning.

But it seems she's not the only one who thinks this way.

Jiang Yuhuo sat down cross-legged, just as he was about to regulate his breathing and circulate his spiritual energy to guide it into his sword, when he heard two light footsteps approaching from not far away.

She was behind the small awning at the entrance, while the two newcomers were in front of it.

She sighed inwardly and began to consider whether to go back to her room to sleep or find a quiet place in the suburbs tonight.

Forget it, let's go.

But before she could get up, a rustling sound of fabric rubbing against each other suddenly came from in front of the shed, accompanied by a woman's low scolding, "Don't do this..."

Jiang Yuhuo froze as she stood up.

Is this...?

The woman's voice, though reprimanding, lacked force and, in the darkness of the night, possessed a certain allure.

But why does that voice sound so familiar?

Jiang Yuhuo racked her brains for a while, but couldn't find anyone she knew. But soon, new sounds kept entering her ears: the sticky, churning sound of water, increasingly rapid breathing, and the soft moans that accidentally escaped from a woman's lips... completely interrupting her thoughts.

Given the situation, Jiang Yuhuo understood everything. She felt incredibly uneasy, gazing up at the night sky, hoping it would all end soon. She didn't know how much time had passed; each moment felt endless. She even considered leaving, thinking that if she were to be hated, she could at least get into a fight.

But it's normal for men and women to be intimate when they're in love, and hopefully they won't feel guilty about being seen by others.

Jiang Yuhuo wanted to leave again.

But then, the two in front of the shed finished their kiss, and it seemed the woman pushed the person in front of her away, softly panting as she uttered, "How dare you..."

The person who had been pushed away seemed to lean back again, and said in a mournful voice, "Master..."

That sound?

Isn't this the arrogant Ning Yu?

Jiang Yuhuo was struck dumb, and dared not move or even breathe. If she could, she would have sealed off all her breath.

She wasn't afraid of making enemies, but there was no need to create such a deep-seated grudge. Although the Kunlun Sect, unlike the Heavenly Palace, didn't have a rule prohibiting its disciples from falling in love, the relationship between master and disciple was still considered scandalous anywhere.

If this is discovered, even if Ning Yu can't beat her, the Peak Master of Chongyuan Peak will probably kill her to silence her.

"I've already made it very clear to you, this can't go on any longer." The voice of the Peak Master Chongyuan rang out, as if he had finally regained a sliver of reason.

Hearing her voice again now, Jiang Yuhuo was certain that she was the Peak Master of Chongyuan Peak, and could even match her beautiful face.

"...Disciple is going to compete tomorrow, can't Master be a little nicer to Disciple?" Ning Yu's hesitant voice rang out again, half accusing and half coquettish, "Master knows that Disciple was bullied by that bitch from Zhenyang Peak, and is naturally very aggrieved, but Master won't even comfort Disciple..."

...

Jiang Yuhuo was completely bewildered. Was this still the same arrogant and threatening Ning Yu? She felt goosebumps all over.

She truly hated her sudden inspiration.

No matter what, she must hold on, she absolutely must not make a sound, she absolutely must not be discovered...

But what you fear most always comes to pass.

Jiang Yuhuo had just come to her senses when she saw a crow perched prettily on the edge of the building opposite. The crow had also seen her, tilting its head to examine her, seemingly quite interested in this human.

The man and the crow stared at each other, neither making a sound. Jiang Yuhu shook his head silently.

Don't come any closer, please don't come any closer...

But the next moment, the crow fluttered down and landed gracefully beside her, even hopping onto her arm and pecking at the bracelet on her wrist.

She was careless; no bird could resist the bracelet, that damned attraction.

"What's that sound?" Peak Master Chongyuan immediately noticed the commotion and asked in a cold voice.

"Master, don't panic, I'll go take a look." Ning Yu drew his sword and was about to walk around the awning.

Jiang Yuhuo took off running.

*

After fleeing from Jiang Yuhuo that evening, Lin Wuwang locked himself in his room, trying to calm his racing heart and reflecting on how he could have been so rude to his junior sister. But his upbringing taught him that one should not be so disrespectful, and despite feeling ashamed, he blushed and prepared to go and apologize to Jiang Yuhuo.

Having found out where Jiang Yuhuo's room was, Lin Wuwang went straight there. But when he reached the door, he hesitated. He stood at her door for a while before finally mustering the courage to knock.

There was no response.

Are you asleep?

Lin Wuwang tried knocking again. This time he used a little more force, but unexpectedly, the door opened a crack; it wasn't locked. His gaze instinctively wanted to peek inside, but he restrained himself for a moment.

If I accidentally see something I shouldn't see, I can't think about it...

But the more he tried to suppress his thoughts, the more stubbornly those images resurfaced, causing a surge of heat to rise in his body.

Lin Wuwang stood outside the door, took a deep breath, his heart pounding like a thief, and his palms were already sweaty.

What if something happened to Junior Sister Jiang and she didn't have time to close the door?

Just one look, just one look...

My restless heart was stirred up again.

The young immortal slowly pushed the door open through the crack with his slender hand, without making a sound.

An uneasy gaze peered inside, but the room was empty.

Lin Wuwang gave a self-deprecating smile and shook his head gently. His heart settled back into his stomach, and he couldn't tell whether he felt relieved or disappointed. He carefully closed the door for her.

The young immortal master didn't see a familiar figure flash past the window the moment the door closed.

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Author's note: Why did the holiday go by so fast? [melting emoji]